ChatGPT maker weighs new capital for AI expansion and acquisitions as it considers timing of potential stock market debut…
OpenAI is exploring a new fundraising round that could value the artificial intelligence company at more than $1.2 trillion, as the ChatGPT maker weighs raising additional capital ahead of a potential stock market listing.
People familiar with the discussions told Bloomberg that the talks are still at an early stage and were initiated by investors. The final decision on whether to proceed with the fundraising could also be influenced by the timing of OpenAI’s eventual initial public offering, IPO.
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman recently indicated that the company does not expect to go public this year. A fresh injection of capital could give the company additional room to postpone a potential listing by one or two quarters, according to one person familiar with the discussions.
The additional funding could also provide OpenAI with greater firepower for mergers and acquisitions as the company broadens its operations beyond its core AI models and chatbot business.
OpenAI has already committed billions of dollars to acquisitions as it expands into new areas of technology. The company agreed to acquire io, an AI hardware startup founded by former Apple executive Jony Ive, in a deal valued at $6.5 billion.
It has also agreed to acquire Astral, a company behind Python development tools, as part of its push deeper into software development and coding.
The latest fundraising discussions come as OpenAI continues to secure increasingly large sums to finance the development of its AI systems, products and computing infrastructure.
In February 2026, the company announced a $110 billion funding round based on a pre-money valuation of $730 billion. That followed a $40 billion investment announced in April 2025, which valued OpenAI at roughly $300 billion.
Japan’s SoftBank led the 2025 funding round with a $30 billion commitment, alongside other investors including Microsoft, Coatue, Altimeter and Thrive.
Competition for investment in the rapidly expanding AI industry is also intensifying.
Rival AI company Anthropic raised fresh funding in May at a valuation of approximately $96.5 billion, including the new investment, as both companies position themselves for possible public offerings.
Bloomberg reported that Anthropic has selected Nasdaq as the venue for its proposed IPO and could begin the process as early as October.
The Claude chatbot developer is also reportedly considering a fundraising target comparable to, or larger than, the $86.3 billion secured by SpaceX in its June offering, which Bloomberg described as the largest public offering on record.
For OpenAI, preparations for a potential IPO are also raising questions around how much information the company should disclose to private-market investors.
The company is considering legal restrictions on the information it shares with those investors, according to Bloomberg, as leading AI firms compete for massive pools of capital to fund expansion and strengthen their positions in an increasingly crowded market.
